The Arizona Game and Fish Department Operation Game Thief program is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the illegal shooting of a whitetail deer doe Nov. 6 southeast of the abandoned Davison Ranch in Davidson Canyon.

The doe was shot and left in the field by a white male, age mid-20s, wearing a black sweatshirt and camouflage pants, with a tan shooting stick used to prop up a rifle. He was accompanied by a white male in his mid-40s, more than 6 feet tall, weighing 215 pounds, and wearing light blue jeans and a woodlands camouflage jacket, and another white male in his late 20s wearing a knit cap, camouflage pants and jacket.

The group was camped on Davison Ranch Road in Davidson Canyon and driving a 1990s red Ford two-door pickup and a 1990s white Ford two-door pickup. The incident occurred in Game Management Unit 34B, in the Rosemont Junction area between Sonoita and Interstate 10 east of Highway 83.

The trio are wanted for questioning about taking the wrong sex of deer and waste of game meat, among other possible charges.

“Poaching is not hunting. It’s a crime against our wildlife resources and the State of Arizona,” said Regional Supervisor Raul Vega of AZGFD Tucson. “Even in hunting season, it’s illegal to kill a doe or fawn.”

Individuals with information about the case are urged to call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-352-0700, anonymously if need be, and reference OGT #11-001759. Information may also be provided online at http://www.azgfd.gov/ogt_form.shtml[2].

Most poaching cases in Arizona are second degree misdemeanors punishable by up to four months in jail and a $750 fine. Civil penalties may also apply.

AZGFD issued 1,143 game citations in 2010, a seven percent increase from 1,060 in 2009.

I have a system I use in Whitetail hunting during the rut that seems to work for me. When I make a mock scrape in the area I wish to hunt I will place a couple of 35mm
film canisters (film removed of course) in the scrape after I have cleared out all leaves and other debris. The film canisters are filled with cotton balls and saturated with doe in heat urine. This keeps the urine from soaking in the ground and can be refreshed on each trip if needed. I will also use the tarsal gland of the buck...